Chumlee

Chumlee on Black.

My family and I enjoy watching a show on the History Channel called Pawn Stars. It's a reality show centered around Gold and Silver Pawnshop located in Las Vegas.

Our favorite personality on the show is a guy by the name of Chumlee. (Austin Russell) He's a lovable buffoon with just enough of a cool hipster vibe mixed in to surprise you at times and make you laugh the rest of the time. The old man is a close second.


Chumlee on White.

I've been inspired to do other pop culture centered artwork like Billy Mays and Twitter. BTW, you can follow Chumlee on Twitter here.

I think it's pretty cool when an average joe like Chumlee gets to enjoy the lime light for a while. Unlike the elite Hollywood centric stars that tend to irritate me more than they entertain me. So think of this creative exploration as my personal attempt to extend da Chum's 15 minutes of fame.

Go get 'em Chumlee! You can help expand the chum-centric universe by voting for this design on Threadless.

PDF Art Downloads
Chumlee on Black
Chumlee on White

This artwork is Copyright © Glitschka Studios. You can use these PDF files for personal viewing and to print out and hang in your work area. No other usage is granted.

iSurrender

A downcast Kindle ponders his future.

The dawn of the iPad is quickly approaching and it made me wonder in an anthropomorphic way how the Kindle would respond? This is my answer to that question.

Since the Kindle is a native of the PNW where the phrase "Skid Row" originated from, I thought it was an appropriate metaphor.

Download Larger Image Here.

No Way

Original concept drawn on a creative brief.

Creativity is kind of strange. I never know when an idea is going to spawn, I've just learned to act on it. Such was the case here.

I sat through a two hour meeting at a local design firm going over a new branding project and someone voiced an opinion about something and the term "No Way" popped into my head. So I just kind of doodled what came to mind and the above is the end result.


"No Way" design on yellow and black background.

Of course later that same night I couldn't help myself and decided to flesh out the idea. Still don't really understand what it means, but that doesn't stop me from liking it. I find that odd. I suppose it can mean what ever you'd like it to mean and there is "No Way" of convincing me otherwise! ;-P


"No Way" T-Shirt design.

There is also "No Way" I'm not going to put this design on a t-shirt either! (Stop rolling your eyes)

"No Way" T-Shirt Designs
- View / Order Black Shirt Here
- View / Order Yellow Shirt Here


"No Way" Sign mocked up.

One of the commenters below suggested that "No Way" would work for a sign too. I agree. If I ever built my own house on some property I'd get this sign made to be on the street leading to our house. Very cool. Thanks Brian.

Creative Kicks!

"FloraWhirl" design.

I like Zazzle.com, out of all the online vendors they offer the best diversity of product and even though they've had growing pains the quality has improved with each passing year.

They were the first to offer cool custom shoes. The only limitation was it was women's shoes, no guys variety was available.

Well all of that has changed now.


"Funk-O-Delic" design.

Zazzle.com asked me to help launch the service by designing some custom kicks they could showcase. So I took some of my more recent patterns and had some fun.


"Thorn" design.

I hope you enjoy these creative kicks.

Vonster Brand Shoes
- FloraWhirl Shoe (View/Order)
- Funk-O-Delic Shoe (View/Order)
- Thorn Shoe (View/Order)

Mug Shots

My lovely daughter sporting a "Thug Bunny" mug.

This holiday season you can drink deeply from an official Glitschka Studios mug.

I think coffee is to designers what blood is to vampires, so I've pulled together several of my most popular designs and have made them available on mugs.

Because everyone deserves an artistic beverage apparatus.


The Loyal Order of "Thug Bunny" mug.

View / Order "Thug Bunny" mug here.

Read more about this art here.


Fill your head with liquids via a "Squiggle Heads" mug.

View / Order "Squiggle Heads" mug here.

Read more about this art here.


Imbibe your favorite beverage with "Tickles the Evil Clown" mug.

View / Order "Tickles the Evil Clown" mug here.

Read more about this art here.


Become a hard-core drinker with this "Tribal Lion" mug.

View / Order "Tribal Lion" mug here.

Read more about this art here.


Freedom never tasted so good with this "Artistic Freedom" mug.

View / Order "Artistic Freedom" mug here.

Read more about this art here.


Consume your strange brew in this "VooDoo" mug.

View / Order "VooDoo" mug here.

Read more about this art here.


Scary good consumption via the "Monster" mug.

View / Order "Monster" mug here.

Read more about this art here.


Drink your ideological kool-aid in this "Last Daze" mug.

View / Order "Last Daze" mug here.

Read more about this art here.


What every biker bar needs: An "Alien Biker Skull" mug.

View / Order "Alien Biker Skull" mug here.

Read more about this art here.


Preventing discourse is fine while you're drinking out of your "Free Speech" mug.

View / Order "Free Speech" mug here.

Read more about this art here.


Enjoy your piping hot liquid bean in this "Latte Java" mug.

View / Order "Latte Java" mug here.

Read more about this art here.

Refried Artwork

"Bandito" illustration. (Click Image to View Larger)

This artwork was originally created for a sticker set I designed for a power tool manufacturer. And you can read about that creative process here. But like a good digital artist with an entrepreneurial spirit I'm re-purposing my creativity.


"Bandito" t-shirt design.

Let the fabled south of the border Bandito inspire your wardrobe with his hot pepper personality. View and or order a shirt here.


"Bandito" sticker design.

Badges? You don't need no stinking badges! You need this stinking sticker!

Twitter Beard

Illustrative Mask "Twitter Beard."

For the past three years I've been teaching "Digital Illustration" in a local college VC program. For this terms final project I assigned the students an "Illustrative Mask" for them to create over a four week period were we focused on each phase of the creative process: Thumbnails, Sketches, Comps, and Final Art all being art directed by myself and peer reviewed.

I thought this would be fun so I decided to participate myself. The idea I chose to develop was based on my love of Twitter.com which I've been using going on three years now. (You can follow me at: @vonster)


Striking a pose with "Twitter Beard" mask.

When ever someone asks me "What is Twitter?" or "Why do you use Twitter?" I usually respond by saying "Think of Twitter as a diary for your random thoughts that other people can read." Essentially the only thing I'm doing differently now than I was pre-Twitter is documenting my thoughts.

The random thoughts and ideas have always been their, but I never captured them. Twitter allows me to do that now and also gives me the opportunity to see what others are thinking and that makes for a good waste of time.


Some of my students mask illustrations.

I think my students did a great job. Very creative and fun mask illustrations. They'll all be getting A's BTW.


My daughter Savannah inherited my zany gene. Arrrgh!

The fun thing about a mask like this is that each user can create a different emotion really easily. Add some props like a hat or glasses and all manner of zany merriment and take place. It's low-tech fun at it's best.


More mask hi-jinx.

Here are several people who put together their own design gathering and had some fun with the mask.


Construct your own "Twitter Beard" mask.

If you download and construct a mask for yourself please share a link to a picture in the comments below.

Download "Twitter Beard" PDF
"Twitter Beard" Mask PDF (1.5MB)

For more information and larger preview of "Twitter Beard" visit my primary site here.

User Gallery

Billy Mays Magical Beard. (Take 2)

Impeccable + Grooming = Iconic

I've been fascinated with all things Billy Mays since I first saw him in person years ago pitching Quick N Brite at a state fair prior to his prime time pitchman glory. Nothing has changed really, he's still using the same modus operandi.

With the hit of the new reality TV show "Pitchmen" I've decided to repost the Billy Mays Magical Beard PDF I created back in January before I knew about the new TV show.

Accept no substitutes, this is the original, and authentic one of a kind "Magical Beard" from the worlds greatest pitchman. It's not the products, it's not his loud voice overs, it's not his thumbs up, it's the one and only mystical power of his immaculate facial hair that captivates viewers and closes the sale.

I'm honored that this design was included in The Best Custom Type List of 2009. (So far that is) Billy may no longer be among the living now but his infamous facial hair will live on via the wonder of the internet.

But wait there is more! You too can embrace the iconic whiskers of infomercial fame yourself! Download this hairy relic and hang it in your work area to inspire your own path to success.

PDF Art Download
Billy Mays Magical Beard PDF

Pimping Lincoln

"Pimping Lincoln" Because it's fun.

The past few days have been way too serious on my blog. So tonight I decided to do something just for fun.

Tonight I was reading online and an image of Abraham Lincoln showed up on one of the web pages I visited. I looked at this historical image and a few thoughts streamed across my conscience.

"I wonder what he was thinking about when this was taken?"
"Dude had big ears."
"I wonder if he had a good sense of humor?"

And then in a moment of "Creative Curiosity" I thought.

"I wonder what my face would look like on his body?"

It's at moments like these I allow my "Late Night Logic" to kick in and act on spontaneous creative ideas that pop into my head. So I decided to act upon the common vernacular "Photoshopping" a picture of my face onto one of our nations most beloved fore fathers.


Pimping Honest Abe.

Doing this brought back a memory I hadn't thought of in over 22 years. At my very first job out of art school I worked at a small hole in the wall screen print shop. (This was all pre-computer old school graphic design with Amberlith and T-squares.) At that time I had photocopied the same picture of lincoln and put sunglasses on him and a tropical patterned shirt.

I thought the pop art was cool looking and showed it to Sandy the secretary and all she had to say was.

"That is disrespectful and not funny at all."

You didn't want to argue with Sandy, she was never wrong.

When I started there several employees told me not to look at her thumb. I asked why and one person said.

"She only has a nub and you don't want her catching you starring at it, she'll freak."

Well, I forgot all about this and one day she walked into my office and handed me a work file. As I reached out to grab it I spotted her nub and just kind of froze starring at it not moving. I was hypnotized by her nub. After a few awkward seconds she tossed it on my desk and left the room and now 22+ years later a nub and a dislike for "Pimping Lincoln" is all I remember of Sandy.

The whole time I worked there I had my pimped Lincoln hanging on my wall in just the right spot so as Sandy could see it from her desk. LOL


For Your "Photoshopping" Pleasure.

So now it's your turn. Use the image above and take a few minutes "Pimping Lincoln."

When you're done with it just email me the image and I'll post it below in this same thread.

Send your pimped Lincoln to: info@glitschka.com

Pimped Lincoln Gallery


Designer: Justen Hong - First Half Asian Lincoln.


Designer: Eric Holsomback


Designer: Andreas Aronsson


Designer: David Holm - Mr. Clean


Designer: Robert Miller - Cruising


Designer: Mike Hosier


Designer: Brandon Dawley


Designer: Mary Gibson


Designer: Scott Fulk


Designer: Mark Vogler


Designer: Alin Ivana - Romanian Lincoln


Designer: Jay Montgomery


Designer: Stephen Way - Lincoln Pimped


Designer: Lance Ford


Designer: Jason Oliver


Designer: Chris Rooney - Abe "Rock Your Cabin" Lincoln


Designer: Carson Brown


Designer: Eloy Lbarra


Designer: Clay Billman


Designer: Jared Fitch - Obramaham Lincoln


Designer: Duane Cardwell


Designer: Stephen Hilbelink


Designer: H. Iñaki Basagoiti - Barcelona

PS: If you ever meet me in person ask me to tell you the story about my friend mowing the lawn in her bare feet. It's pretty funny but this post had enough rabbit trails so I didn't want to add another one. ;-)